INDULGE...A SEDUCTION OF THE SENSES...A FABULOUSLY FUN FOODIE TOUR FOR LOVERS OF 'LA DOLCE VITA'

INDULGE.....

Do gastronomic adventures in the kitchen titillate your tongue? Enjoy dining in beautiful places? Cook up a storm? Does anything Italian conjure up images of 'la dolce vita'? Want a taste of it? Yes? Well then, what are you waiting for?!

The Amalfi Coast is a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE and as such is considered one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world.  It is situated on the 'shin of the Italian boot'and snakes slinkily through craggy cliffs that plunge vertiginously to the azure Tyrrhenian Sea below.

Of the 13 coastal towns that are part of this Heritage Site, Positano is considered the 'pearl'.  It has an incandescent magic that weaves a gentle spell upon all who visit it and it is here that you will be based for this tour of indulgence...it's more than the palatable pleasures of the local gastronomy - it's a seduction of the senses....

Your 7 night package looks like this:

DAY ONE            :  

Arrive Naples

Private transfer in air-conditioned luxury to your 4* hotel or 3* B'nB in                  Positano

Afternoon to unpack and unwind

Welcome dinner at a favourite Positano restaurant overlooking the town and with views down the coast...the perfect place to set the stage for a week of magic and wonder.

DAY TWO           :  

Discover Positano Tour and Tasting

A tour of Positano with tastings along the way (Wine, Olives,  Olive Oil and            Limoncello)

A 'slow-food' lunch at a seaside restaurant located in a small beach cove a little way down the coast has been arranged for you today...a great Mediterranean venue for savouring the local seafood, cooling off in the sea and soaking up the sunshine.  This is a popular spot with celebs!

Laurito Beach

Evening at your own leisure

(Restaurant recommendations will be provided)

DAY THREE       : 

La Cucina Divina Cooking Class

A hands-on cooking experience with a local chef focusing on traditional

Amalfi Coast cuisine. The lesson takes place at a restaurant in the hamlet perched above Positano.

Your transfers to and from the venue are included as are coffee/cappuccino's, assorted biscotti on arrival, local wine and mineral water during the lunch and of course you get to enjoy all that you've prepared!

(More details on booking)

With Chef Salvatore

Fresh organic produce from the restaurant garden

Spiralli con cima di rape

Making pasta

Evening at your own leisure.

DAY FOUR           : 

Day at your own leisure

Optional extra cooking class can be arranged)

DAY FIVE             :  

Myths and  Mozzarella...The Amalfi Coast Drive...and more!

Amalfi

We start early today as we're heading further south to the area known to

produce the best buffalo mozzarella.

                                   

Travelling along the Amalfi Coast, we pass through the characteristic villages

and towns that make up this unique UNESCO World Heritage Site...Praiano,

Furore, Amalfi, Vietri sul Mare, to name but a few...

                                 

We make a brief stop at a renowned 'pasticceria' in Minori for a scrumptious

'sfogliatelle', a tradional Neapolitan pastry. 

(Minori is the town where celebrity chef Gennaro Contaldo is from)

On arrival att he buffalo farm, the tour begins.  This is the only organic buffalo mozzarella farm in the whole of Italy! It is nothing short of a gastronomic treat to sink your teeth into the soft, creamy white orbs of mozzarella produced here. Not only are they renowned for their mozzarella (and people come from far and wide to purchase it), they also produce ricotta, butter, yoghurt and ice cream from the milk of the buffalo.

Fresh mozzarella

Margherita the Buffalo

There is more...but we'll keep some surprises for the tour! After, the privilege of lunching in the home, an 18 century villa, of the owner.

From here we visit the best preserved Greek temples outside of Greece itself. Paestum is a short distance away and has an excellent on-site museum which is home to, amongst many other artifacts, a collection of 5th and 4th century tomb paintings, a very rare survival from the ancient past.

These were only uncovered fairly recently, by an artichoke farmer.
Temple to Hera

Heading back to Positano we make a stop in an authentic fishing village famous for their anchovy products.

Finally, we salute the end of a delicious day with a glass of prosecco in an ancient pirate watch tower guarding Amalfi, once a maritime republic, before being dropped back at your hotel in Positano.

Evening at your own leisure.

DAY SIX  :

Isle of Capri Private Boat Excursion

A relaxing coastal cruise to Capri, island playground of the international jet-set and home of the famed Blue Grotto and the Caprese Salad!

Looking down from Monte Solaris, Capri

Whilst we explore hidden inlets and swim in grottoes, on-board you'll be treated  to a 'degustazione' of local delicacies (local wine, soft-drinks and mineral water are also included.) Beach towels are provided for your post-Mediterranean swim.

With a few hours on Capri, enjoy wandering through the white-washed alleys of Capri Town, stroll up through villa's and lemon-scented gardens to the ruins of Emperor Tiberius' Villa Jovis, or walk Via Tragara through the forest where Pan lived for a view over i Faraglioni...perhaps head up to Ana Capri or just linger over a lazy Caprese lunch...the world's your oyster - or so it will seem!

Evening at your own leisure.

DAY SEVEN  :

Day at leisure.

Wander through Positano exploring the many boutiques and ceramic shops, stop for an espresso or a granita di limone (oh so refreshing!). La Moda Positanesi still produces fine quality handcrafted linen and lace garments and handmade leather sandals, made to measure, made famous by Jackie O.

Farewell Dinner overlooking the sea and the mythical LI Galli Islands...an apt setting to conclude an unforgettable week!

                 Li Galli sunset

DAY EIGHT  :

Private transfer back to Naples

ARRIVEDERCI POSITANO!

Your INDULGE Package includes:

• 7 nights accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis at a 4* hotel or 3* B’nB (subject to availability)

• Return private transfers Naples – Positano – Naples (based on 8 pax)

• Welcome dinner (excludes wine)

• Farewell dinner (excludes wine)

• Lunch at seaside restaurant

• Lunch on the Myths and Mozzarella excursion (includes wine)

• Private transport for the day with driver

• Pastry and cappuccino’s on the above excursion

• Entrance to Paestum site and museum

• Prosecco at the pirate watch tower

• Private boat excursion to Capri with onboard degustazione

• Return bus tickets from Marina Piccola to Capri town

• La Cucina Divina Cooking class (includes return transfers to cooking venue, cappuccino’s on arrival, local wine and mineral water with lunch)

• Discover Positano Tour and Tasting

• Tips for drivers, boat captain, waiters

• List of recommended restaurants and other useful information

• Tour leader (English/Italian speaking)

Price per person: (based on a group of 8 people – price may vary slightly) (minimum 4 people, maximum 12 per group)

4* option: R23,850.00 / €2,385.00**

3* option: R18,000.00 / €1,800.00**

** Prices may fluctuate due to foreign exchange rates

Optional :(at extra cost)

• Photo book of vacation which you will receive a few weeks after your return

• Excursion to Sorrento old town, limoncello factory tour and tasting, lunch

• Dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant in a nearby town

• Additional cooking lessons

Excludes:

Airfares, taxes, travel insurance, hotel room tax and anything else not indicated here.

Terms and Conditions apply.

* In association with Azure Travel                          http://www.azuretravel.co.za/

INDULGE TOUR DATES

• Saturday 28th April - Saturday 5th May 2012                          BOOK NOW!
• Friday 29th June - Friday 6th July 2012***
• Saturday 15th September - Saturday 22nd September 2012
• Saturday 3rd November - Saturday 10th November 2012****
• Saturday 15th December - Saturday 22nd December 2012****

***These dates incorporate the Festival of San Pietro (Saint Peter) and the Festival of the Madonna.
**** These tours will be a combination walking/cooking/eating/excursions.  Please look out here in due course for the tour program, or e-mail: amanda.positanodreaming@gmail.com for further details and price.

BA-BOOM

The ba-boom-ba-boom-ba-boom of my rapidly beating heart thumped me abruptly awake. Panic. Confusion. Fear. What was that noise? A gun-shot? Where am I? A shout....and I strain to search with sleepy eyes into the inky-dark of another world...a chocolate-skinned woman with a turbaned-head shaking a broom at a figure retreating backwards, who stumbles over a low stone wall, his hand raised, clutching something that clinks metallically as his hand comes down to stabilise himself on the wall..is that a gun? Where am I?

My racing heart slows with realisation....I'm safe. I'm in my bed up in the mountains above Positano....a long, long way from South Africa, my birth-place; a long way from being 'on-alert' all the time; a long way from Then....

....Now I walk freely, using my God-given limbs to move me. I climb almost 400 steps to reach the road above, or 1300 down to the centre of town, passing stalagtites - roughly-hewn columns seemingly supporting the limestone-mountain - and terraced groves of lemon-tree's .... I'm free! No gyms for me! No need for a stepping machine here.  No need for big walls, electric fences, security alarms and armed patrols either.  No need.

I love this about living here in Positano - it's an oasis contained by the mountains behind us and the sea in front...beyond lies another story...but here, although not untouched by modern-day evils, still exists a liberty to Be.

And to Be a part of this dreamscape is to wake up every morning with Pleasure, with Delight, with Thanks...that I can step out and Touch the World .. with Peace, with Love, with Joy.

"WHEN IN ROME DO AS THE ROMANS DO"...so the saying goes

Visitor's to our Amalfi Coast always ask what they should do about tipping in a restaurant, tipping the restroom clerk, how to greet someone they're introduced to in Italian and so on, so to help clear things up, here are a few pointers to keep in mind when next you come and visit La Bella Italia.

SALUTATIONS 

• Salve is 'Hello'. You pronounce the 'e' at the end as you would like the 'e' in 'elephant'. Ciao (pronounced 'Chow') is 'Hi' and isn't used between strangers.  When meeting or taking leave of someone, both friends and strangers greet each other by using Buon giorno (Good day) and Buona sera (Good evening). In Italy friends greet each other with a kiss on the cheeks, usually the left cheek first, then the right. Kissing on the lips is regarded as intimate and so is generally reserved for lovers. It is appropriate to shake hands with someone you meet for the first time. You can use 'Un piacere' for 'It's a pleasure to meet you';
• Use 'Per favore' or 'Per piacere' for 'Please'; 'Grazie' for 'Thank you' (pronounced 'gratziE' - the 'e' at the end is also pronounced); 'Prego' for 'A pleasure' or 'You're welcome'.

OUT AND ABOUT

• Use the word 'Permesso' (Permission) when you need to make your way through a crowd;

• Smoking is banned in public establishments - you'll need to step outside to light up your Marlboro;
• Drunkenness in public is frowned upon. Drinking for drinking's sake is also not well regarded and here an aperitivo (aperitif), whether it be a cocktail or glass of wine, is traditionally enjoyed with a meal. A drink will always be accompanied by a bowl of olives, peanuts, crisps - or all three!
• It is not considered good form to call a waiter from across the room - be polite and formal with waitering staff;
• The bill (il conto) will not be presented unless one asks for it;
• If you are enjoying yourself at a seaside town, like Positano, please cover yourself if you leave the beach to sit down at a restaurant, even a beach-front restaurant. It is not considered appropriate to sit at a restaurant table or at a bar in one's bikini or beach-shorts - it's disrespectful to other diners;
• Should you order a drink or something to eat at the counter and then decide to go to a table, it is the correct form for the waiter to bring these to the table for you - please don't do this yourself, however much you may yearn to put those past waitering skills to use!
• It is not common for Italians to share food from their plates - table manners are rather formal here - though should you love that pasta sauce so much that you just have to get the last bits of it up, please go ahead and do so with a piece of bread, as this is a sign of much appreciation for your meal! Just don't lick the plate!
• Spaghetti is eaten with a fork, not with a fork and spoon, though you will be forgiven if you aren't able to master the just-a-fork technique! 

• Be aware that when ordering fish in a restaurant, the price on the menu is per 100gm of fish, not for the whole fish, and this is weighed before cooking.  On average, a fish portion is 350gm;

• Cappuccino's are enjoyed in the morning, before lunch - cappuccino's go well with the pastries enjoyed for breakfast but don't combine well with lunch or dinner meals.  Espresso's are ordered after a meal, including dessert. Liqueurs (and here there are plenty to try: limoncello (lemon), finocchietto (fennel), mirtillo (wild blueberry), nocillo (walnut), fragola (strawberry), anice (liquorice) and many more) are enjoyed with dessert or in place of a dessert;
• It's polite to clean your table before you leave a self-service bar or cafè;
• Our common practice of asking for a 'doggie bag' to take home any leftovers for Fido, just doesn't cut it here;
• In general, restaurants include a cover charge per person (coperto), which is usually shown as the first item on the bill - it's a modest charge of around Euro 1.00 - 2.50  - except in chi-chi restaurantants or upmarket tourist destinations where it's likely to be more;
• Tipping (il servizio) is customary, though not expected, and is seen as appreciation of good service.  Leaving an amount of 10% - 15% of the value of the bill is appropriate and should be left in cash. You generally won't find a space on a credit card slip to include this. If the servizio is included at the bottom of the bill, no tip is necessary.  Leave Euro 0.50 or more for table service in cafè's, Euro 1.00 or more at hotel bars for a round of drinks or more; checkroom attendants Euro 1.00 per person and restroom attendants Euro 0.50 - expect to tip more in more upmarket establishments;
• Visa and Master Card credit cards are more commonly accepted than American Express, though cash is usually preferred;
• When you leave a restaurant, bar, even a gelateria, take your receipt and/or bill with you. It's to avoid any unnecessary ugliness should the Italian Guardia di Finanza (tax police) stop and ask to see proof of your payment.  They are allowed to approach you within a 100 yards of an establishment where you have eaten and ask for this.  If you haven't got it on you, you can be fined, as will the establishment owner for not providing one.  This is all in an endeavour to prevent tax evasion;
• Be sure to dress appropriately when visiting places of worship, of which there are many, in Italy. Churches are filled with wonderful art and sculpture to be openly admired and appreciated. Short shorts, mini skirts, sleeveless tops or tank-tops are a No-No in most churches throughout the country.  Carry a sweater or shawl with you, even during the summer, so that you can cover your shoulders before entering a church;
• Please don't take food into a church and refrain from sipping from your water bottle whilst inside - those sucking sounds are very off-putting when one is praying - please respect that others are here to worship;
• Please turn off mobile phones, or at least mute their ringtone;
• Please wait to enter a church until a service or private affair such as a baptism or wedding, is finished.

 There you go! This should help you not get any skew looks!  And practice that spaghetti-fork-twirling-action!

TALKING ABOUT SERENDIPITY THE OTHER DAY....

Positano's majolica-domed church and campanile

Positano has a pretty new American visitor and I had the pleasure of making her acquaintance a few weeks ago.  Whilst walking down the one and only road which wends its way down from the top of town to Piazza Mulini below, Leigh (Kunis) and I got to chatting about all things serendipitous.

I'm a firm believer in following one's instincts and that the path we're on is very much where we're supposed to be, even if, at the time, it may seem to be leading nowhere!


Like so many others, I've travelled fairly extensively. I love travelling on my own, but on one trip a good friend joined me at the last minute.

I dreamed of Italy for as long as I can remember - had written away to the Italian Archaeology Society to find out about doing volunteer work around Naples, had investigated different cooking school options, subscribed to Andrea Bocelli's website, rolled the Italian names for vegetables joyously over my tongue, greeted the monthly full-moon in Italian..."Ciao la mia bella luna"...I was utterly seduced by La Bella Italia! And had yet to step onto her shores!


After 20 years of dreaming up schemes of how to get there, the trip was finally realised. I wanted to see it all, of course! But with just two weeks, it was impossible! I eventually settled on a few days in Rome, then a drive up to Tuscany for another few days, and the last week down on the Amalfi Coast.

Who the 'ugo' are you?

Each day revealed something magical and I have to say, colours seemed to glow with an iridescent light, landscapes perpetually teased and enchanted my amateur-photographer's eye, the freshness, flavours and simplicity of the local dishes caused culinary havoc upon my tongue, the creative energy refilled my decorator's cup....and amongst all this the ancient history that flowed above and beneath ground was so tangible, so visible wherever we went.

In a leather shop in Montepulciano, the owner took us down into a cordoned-off area at the back of the shop, where they had discovered Etruscan objets when they bashed through a wall to expand the shop. We descended some stone steps into a softly lit cavern of cool, mossy walls. Most of what had been found had been removed, but a few pieces of exquisite pottery remained. I was entranced! This treasure-trove had been tucked away for eons behind an obscure wall...and here we were, invited into its still-beating heart.

Restaurant-dining in Montepulciano

We meandered our way through landscape after soul-wrenchingly beautiful Tuscan landscape, picnicked under tree-dappled shade along a wildflower-covered track of someone's farm - the wind rustling the leaves up above the only sound, but for an infrequent passing car which we couldn't see from where we were hidden...the plumpest green olives, grilled melanzane, so very easily-quaffable Vernaccio vino from San Gimignano, and courtesy of our breakfast buffet, some country bread, traditional smoked meats and cheeses......maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the sunlight stretching through the leaves towards us, warmly stroking our skin, maybe it was both, but a happier, more carefree moment, as we lay on our backs, we couldn't imagine then.

Another favourite memory from that holiday, chanced upon us in Cortona. We'd been on the go all day and reached the walled-town in the late afternoon. After stopping in an antique shop and 'chatting' with the rather rotund, jovial owner, we arrived in the piazza and wearily, but contentedly, plonked ourselves down at a sidewalk cafe to enjoy a well-earned liquid refreshment.

No waiter appeared to serve us, but next door was a shop with a sign above it proclaiming it an "Enoteca". I went inside and asked the man if we could get a glass of 'vino', to which he replied he could not. BUT, if we bought a bottle of wine, he would be glad to provide glasses and we could sit on the steps of the church which overlooked the piazza, and enjoy our wine there. I asked if this was allowed, to drink in 'public', and his response was: "But where are you from? Here, Italy is democratic - you can do what you want!" and with that ceremoniously 'thwopped' the cork from the bottle and presented it to us with two elegant glasses! From our seat above the piazza, surrounded by coo-cooing pigeons, we watched the local evening life unfold around us as the setting sun lent a pink blush to the old stone buildings. We didn't see much more of Cortona, but we didn't need to - that simple moment is a favourite memory and Cortona along with it.

What I didn't know then was that our next destination, the Amalfi Coast, was to change my life. We drove down from Tuscany, took a wrong turn and ended up in what I would only find out later, is one of the worst neighbourhoods of Naples! It was chaotic! No road rules applied and it was an apparent free-for-all! There was a procession taking place, the narrow streets congested with banners, people, cars - and when we did finally find our way out, it was on a ridiculously twisted pot-holed road that wound its way higher and higher into the mountains, the Lattari Mountains, or Milky Mountains, as they are called.

Some time later though we crossed over and started downwards towards the sea - we'd somehow found our way to the Amalfi Coast, via Agerola and Ravello, which left us oohing and aahing at the terraced mountain-slopes filled with fragrant lemon-tree's, and houses built like a stack of cards, one upon the other.

Our base was Positano, perfectly situated on the Amalfi Coast to explore the towns around it and to reach Pompeii and and the Isle of Capri. At first glance I was somewhat disappointed - we passed peeling-painted houses and the town seemed uncared for - but it wasn't long before the magic and enchanting energy of this Tyhrennian-seaside town captivated us.

The week we spent there wasn't enough. I cried for 4 days when I got home, felt detached, that I wasn't all Me...and then it dawned on me: I had quite literally left my heart and soul behind and had to go back and get them! I did that 2 months later - and stayed for a month, absorbing more of the dreamscapes, seascapes, the ever-changing colour. I explored the terrain, towns and archaeological sights on my own - and knew, without a doubt, that this is where I wanted to live.

In that time I not only fell in love with the natural beauty, but also a local Positanesi man. I've been living in Positano for a little more than 3 years now, can at long last communicate with my adopted townsfolk, though every day I continue to learn more of the language, its eccentricities and local expressions, have cultivated both friendships and a vegetable garden, and continue to fall more in love with the  'pearl' of the Amalfi Coast. 

Talk about serendipitous!!!

I closed my interior design & decor business, sold my car, let go of my 'things' and left everything familiar to come and BE.


I now understand the power of that perpetual dream and yearning to come to Italy; realising it couldn't have happened at any other time in my life, realised that the point and circumstances which allowed it to happen when it did, were serendipitous in themselves - but that's another story!!

FOLLOWING ONE'S BLISS ALLOWS MORE AND MORE SERENDIPITOUS MOMENTS TO ENTER OUR LIVES.

LA CUCINA DIVINA - THE DIVINE KITCHEN!

The 'Punta Reginella' part of Positano

‘La Costiera Divina’, The Divine Coast, as the Amalfi Coast, a seductive stretch of coastline lying slinkily on the southern end of the ‘shin’ of the Italian boot, is also known. And aptly named so as this was the playground of the gods! (their myth and mystery still endure...)

Today’s playground is the pearl of the Amalfi Coast: Positano. It is here that the cooking school, ‘La Cucina Divina’, is located. Positano is a magnet to both international and fellow Italian visitors. It is a fantasy destination that grabs ahold of you, forever its captive, an enchanting dream from which there is no escape, one filled with romantic light, heady nights and gastronomic delights!

What more perfect place to immerse oneself in southern Italian cuisine! Just one bite of anything here is enough to swoop you away, as if in Bacchus’ magical panther-drawn chariot to an other-worldy dimension!

Foodies and seasoned traveller’s know that through the enjoyment of a town’s local cuisine, one seemingly tastes the very heart and soul of the place – and here on the Amalfi Coast, once you’ve tasted, the memory lingers and one’s only release is to return...or at least take some of the ‘know-how’ back with you to be re-created in your own kitchen.

‘La Cucina Divina’ arranges cooking experiences which are wickedly fun, informative and deliciously hands-on and without a doubt will be one of your most memorable holiday moments ever!

Cooking on The Divine Coast

Sharon and Rachel Kirschner with Chef Salvatore

Farm-fresh eggs

Just the other day I met Sharon and Rachel Kirschner, a mom and daughter travelling here together, in the kitchen, where they were getting very hands-on with their cooking lesson! There's a Latin proverb which says: "While the pot boils, friendship endures." I've read another take on this that suggests rather that friendship blooms, and that's exactly what happened! A serendipitous encounter over farm-fresh eggs, flour, Virgin Mary blessed mountain water, pine-forest plucked porcini mushrooms, ricotta cheese and prawns (the makings of ravioli!) certainly did bloom and led to moments of tourmaline searching on Spiaggia Grande, a visit to Amalfi, with a stop at Andrea Pansi, one of only a handful of pastry shops in Italy which have been continuously family-owned and run by consecutive generations - this is now the 5th generation - and Ravello (known as the City of Music as it has inspired many a great  composer, the likes of Wagner, and hosts an annual classical music festival); a light dinner of stuffed artichokes and zucchini fries at La Cambusa down at the beach one evening and platters of frutti di mare at Il Ritrovo up in Montepertuso on another....more about these fabulous restaurants at a later stage!

Frutti di Mare - Mixed Seafood

What great company Sharon and Rachel were - and what a pleasure to have guests with whom to share the trove of treasures here - culinary and otherwise! But if it's a journey into the heart and soul of the southern Italian kitchen you're after, La Cucina Divina is a good place to start!

BUON APPETITO!

COOKING IS LIKE LOVE....

"First...
On a painted sky
Where the clouds are hung
For the Poet's Eye
You may find him
If you may find him

There...
On a distant shore
By the wings of dreams
Through an open door
You may know him
If you may

Be...
As a page that aches for a word
Which speaks on a theme that is timeless

Sing...
As a song in search of a voice that is silent

We dance...
To a whispered voice
Overheard by the soul
Understood by the heart
You may know it...
Be."  - Unknown.

Here I am in my Heaven and Earth, a 1000 miles away from my Yesterday,living on distant shores, having flown in on the wings of a dream, BEING 'the page that aches for a word', and Old Love finds me.

An antique-looking sheet of paper, tucked safely into a favourite cookery-book, lay facing me where the book fell open. So much for culinary inspiration! How did I ever let this man go?! There is no signature, but that is not important here - the words themselves reveal a man living a life with his heart, who dreams, who dances, who sees, feels, Is.  

I'm reminded by Harriet Van Horne's words: "Cooking is like Love. It should be entered into with abandon".  A favourite quote of mine, and one I sometimes rue the day I found! For it seems I've cooked and loved just like this, and BEING now on The Divine Coast, is testament to this philosophy. How apt then too, that these words of Love should be snug amongst the pages of 'stirred tomato risotto with mussels' , 'summer pasta' and 'seared swordfish'!

So here's a simple southern Italian recipe to toss with abandon into a bowl of spaghetti!

PASTA WITH TOMATO, CHILLI AND MOZZARELLA

INGREDIENTS
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic (press down on the clove with your palm to crack open the clove and make peeling the skin easier - this also helps to release the flavours into the oil)
2 small red chillies (dried also good - tear into pieces and add the seeds as well)
2 x approx. 440gm cans of Italian peeled tomatoes
handful of fresh basil, roughly torn
400gm  rigatoni or penne pasta
200gm fresh mozzarella or bocconcini, sliced
sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
handful of black olives (optional)
teaspoon of capers (optional)
boundless love (not optional)

METHOD
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and toss in a teaspoon of sea-salt to the water. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain. (You want to keep the pasta a little moist as this helps the sauce coat and cling to the pasta better.)

Whilst the water is getting itself ready to cook the pasta, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for 3 minutes 'til the garlic is golden and softened.  Add the tomatoes and crush with a fork.  Add a little water to the can, swirl around and pour into the pan. Simmer for 3 minutes.

To the sauce add sea-salt and cracked black pepper to taste, and some of the shredded basil leaves.  Stir through.  You may want  to add a handful of black olives and/or capers at this stage. Continue to simmer a few minutes more until the pasta is ready, then toss the sauce through the pasta and place in serving bowls.

Served topped with sliced or cubed mozzarella and a couple of whole basil leaves.

EAT and ENJOY with relish! (don't forget to wipe up any residue sauce with some fresh white Italian bread!)

FOR INFORMATION ON COOKING CLASSES, ENOGASTRONOMIC EXCURSIONS AND MORE ON THE AMALFI COAST, PLEASE CONTACT THE WRITER.

SPRUNG SPRING

Pebble Cross found on Spiaggia Grande
over the Easter Weekend.

With Easter and its symbolic re-birthing of all things good, so too did Positano, the 'pearl' of The Amalfi Coast, re-emerge from its winter slumber to welcome in the start of another tourist season.

The sublime Spring weather seduced visitors into thinking Summer had arrived early. Clothes were quickly shed and creamy-winter bodies lay lusciously soaking up the warmth. My favourite spot to survey the crowds and goings-on whilst sipping on a glass of aglianico wine, Covo dei Saraceni, had its tables out again and I received the heartiest welcome from Emanuele, Franco, Mario and the rest of the gang. The beach-front restaurants of Chez Black, Le Tre Sorelle, La Bucca di Bacco and La Cambusa were filled to capacity and take-away pizza's overflowed to the beach where youngsters sat in groups hungrily devouring their Margherita's from their cardboard boxes, gummy strands of warm, molten mozzarella stretching from container to salivating palate, and washed back with cold Peroni....ahhhh, the bliss!

But up above Positano, in the Lattari mountains which rise protectively around Positano, a sense of solace quietly chimed Spring's burgeoning; the sweet sound of Nature sang out and wild scents gently perfumed the air. Away from the milieu of the 'maddening crowds' below, it was just the crisp crunch of brittle winter leaves that reminded me I had escaped to the essence of Spring itself.

                                                                                                  
Standing on a rocky ledge where, legend has it, the devil himself left an imprint of his tail after furiously flicking it against the rock in angry defeat (The Virgin Mary having perforated the mountain - after which Montepertuso is named - and the devil merely denting it), I looked upon Positano below, bathed in surreal late-afternoon light, breathed in the pine-forest perfumes, then raised my face towards the sunshine-shards piercing the pine-tree's and remembered why I'd chosen to come and live here: It's my Heaven and Earth.